Tuesday, October 14, 2008

A Bouquet of Gratitude



A Bouquet of Gratitude


Melvin snoring,
Birds singing,
Cool October morning.

A riot of color in the flower garden,
Happy pink-petalled chrysanthemums with a yellow center,
Lavender asters spilling out of the bed.

Bumble bees swarming the ageratums,
Cutting flowers,
Finding a little mason jar for my bouquet.

Lunch with Byron,
Catching up with an old friend,
Coffee afterwards.

Melvin trying his best to retrieve the discarded yogurt container from the waste basket,
Giving Melvin what he wants,
Melvin licking the last little bit.

Dinner in the crock pot,
Leisurely walk,
Long Autumn shadows on the evening lawn.


13 comments:

MelissaR said...

Good morning everyone. I like your descriptions Pat.
I am enjoying the bright red-colored trees that I am now seeing along the streets and neighborhoods and the cool breezes that set off my wind chime and make me want to snuggle up with a cozy blanket or sweater.

Pat said...

Yeah, the trees are starting to show some color. I love it. I'm going to my cabin this weekend. I can't wait!

Hope everyone has a great day.

Gnomes, step away from the pastry table! =o) You can do it! Remember your birthday and what you really want!

Pat said...

Slow blog. Everyone is either working too hard or out enjoying the beautiful weather. I hope the latter. =o)

MelissaR said...

Busy today at work. I am just now getting to eat lunch, which is VERY late for me.

Hope everyone is having a good day.

The Orkins said...

Thanks for the words of encouragement this morning. The pastries did not look good, so I went for something on my meal plan (the kitchen in our Philadelphia office is very well stocked with healthy snacks).

I look forward to coming home tonight and getting back on track - with the WODs and eating.

Sheryl McCalla said...

I've decided to work from home tomorrow which I really enjoy because I can wear comfy clothes and walk outside every now and then just because.

Didn't do so well on food today. Had my balanced breakfast, but then was sitting through an excruciatingly boring deposition and so ate part of a Balance Bar PURELY out of boredom and to try to stay awake. Then went to a lunch with relatively boring speakers. Ate some of the pecan pie (which was fine - no guilt about that), but then when it seemed like the luncheon would never end I ate almost all of the rest of it. Not because I wanted it, but because it was something to do. Then went to one of the seminar sessions after lunch and immediately ate two pieces of candy just because they were sitting in a bowl on the table. Thank goodness those speakers were good otherwise I may have eaten the whole bowl! The moral of this story, I've got to find another way to channel in situations like that. Doing nothing is not an option, I feel like I'm going to crawl out of my skin. And playing brickbreaker on my cell phone seems rude. Any ideas?

Sheryl McCalla said...

By the way, it's not the volume of what I ate that I'd like ideas on how to deal with, it's the reason for the consumption -- having something to do with my hands, mind so as not to go stir crazy. If it were volume I would have mentioned the piece of carrot cake I ate when I got back to the office. That was not boredom, that was rebellion and desire. ;)

Meeks said...

It is a great time of year watching the leaves change. I am hoping to make it up to hike in north georgia this weekend to enjoy the scenery.

Rachel Nye said...

Sheryl you should have been a dental hygienist, we are always busy with our hands, jk!!!! Umm let's see maybe making lists like shopping, chores, goals could keep you busy. It sounds like you had a day I had recently where everything just went down hill after one bite of something that was not suppose to be part of my diet that day. I think it is part of being a woman. I blame our crazy hormones and our genetic dispositions to be curvy and womanly, what can we do??? It is funny though after one bite we were not able to stop, it just shows how addictive sugar is and it makes your body crave it more once you have a little. Good luck keeping those hands busy, Sheryl, maybe you should get one of those things that help strengthen your grip, everyone may look at it funny, but think about the strength you would gain, hehe :)

Sheryl McCalla said...

Thanks Rae. You are funnny! And right.

Pat said...

Well of course, Sheryl--you should be blogging during these boring meetings. =o) I guess that won't work. This is a tough one. In that situation, if I have the first bite, I'm usually in trouble. I'm interested to see what others have to say.

Shana A. said...

Boredom is a biggie for a lot of people and food. Many of us are uncomfortable just being still and food is soothing. What about baoding balls ... ? They're these things: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baoding_Balls

Byron said...

Pat, it was great to see you yesterday! I really enjoyed lunch, and I love the grateful bouquet today! The flowers are beautiful! Thanks so much for being a great friend and sharing so much of yourself! One of my HGB for the week will be seeing you and sitting outside enjoying the beautiful day!

Tomorrow, I am in hearings all day. My challenge will be to find time to eat something during the day to avoid eating the entire contents of the fridge, if not the fridge itself, when I get home. I try to keep some "healthy" snacks in my briefcase for times when I am bored, like sitting in a meeting, on an airplane, etc. I find that carrots, broccoli, snap peas, or steamed edamame travel well in the briefcase. Not the ideal way to beat eating from boredom, but it helps keep me from attacking the vending machine or eating horrible airport food. For me, the key is to be prepared with items that I can eat without packing in the calories as I know that I am going to "snack" at those times even though I may not be hungry. Just my little method of attacking a problem that I have experienced all too often. :-)